Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud has called for the Somali emigrants in Italy to return home, Wargane News reports.
Mr Mohamoud said the remarks while attending a ceremony to mark Europe day in the capital Mogadishu yesterday.
He revealed ongoing talks between his government and Italian authorities on ways of deporting back the emigrants to their roots voluntarily.
Unemployment and poverty in Somalia have forced many young people to emigrate in search of a better life through perilous journeys across deserts and seas.
According to researches made, more than half of Somalia’s population is under 18, with the majority born after the overthrow of Mohammed Siad Barre in 1991, the pivotal event that sent the country spiralling into a deeper anarchy.
However, President Mohamoud promised his government will strive to create opportunities for the returnees and also improve the lives of the ordinary youth in the country.
In one of the worst verified migrant tragedies in the Mediterranean, at least 200 Somali boys and girls perished after their boat capsized off the Egyptian coast last month.
